May 20, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Illinois freshman Dennis Nevolo and sophomore Roy Kalmanovich both opened the 2009 NCAA Singles Championships with victories today at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas. Nevolo cruised through the opening round with a straight sets win over Yoann Re from Virginia Tech, while Kalmanovich also notched a straight sets victory, upsetting Boise State's 24th -ranked Clancy Shields.
"Roy did a great job of using the conditions to his favor out there this afternoon," Illinois head coach Brad Dancer said. "It was important for him to come out playing with purpose and determination. Dennis managed his match extremely well from the start and that was important for him in order to advance to the next round."
Nevolo started out the morning strong, posting a 6-3 decision in the first set over Re (VT). The domination continued in the second set, as Nevolo bageled Re, 6-0, for a straight sets win to advance to the Round of 32. Nevolo is now 28-12 overall in singles on the season.
In the other opening round match, Kalmanovich, nationally-ranked No. 50, went head-to-head with Boise State's 24th-ranked Clancy Shields. The Illini sophomore grabbed his 30th singles victory of the season as he took a straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 upset-win over Shields.
In the singles round of 32 on Thursday, Nevolo faces off against No. 9-16-seeded Nate Schnugg of Georgia, while Kalmanovich will square off against top-seeded Arnau Brugues of Tulsa. A win tomorrow to advance to the Sweet 16 would give both Nevolo and Kalmanovich All-America honors for the first time in both of their careers.
In addition to his singles match, Nevolo and partner Ruan Roelofse open play in the first round of the NCAA doubles draw on Thursday, May 21. The 21st-ranked Illini duo will face No. 10-ranked Tim Puetz and Alexey Tsyrenov of Auburn in the Round of 32.
Live scoring and video are available at the official NCAA Championships site, aggieathletics.com. A complete recap of the days' events can be found at fightingillini.com at the conclusion of play.
NCAA Singles Championships - Round of 64 Results (May 20)
#39 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. #55 Yoann Re (VT) 6-3, 6-0
#50 Roy Kalmanovich (ILL) def. #24 Clancy Shields (BSU) 6-2, 6-1
Singles Second Round // Doubles First Round- Match Times
#39 Dennis Nevolo (Illinois) vs. (9-16) Nate Schnugg (Georgia) - 10 am CT
#50 Roy Kalmanovich (Illinois) vs. Arnau Brugues (Tulsa) - 10 am CT
#21 Nevolo/Roelofse (Illinois) vs. #10 Puetz/Tsyrenov (Auburn) 3:30 pm CT
